Earthly Treasures

“Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.” Luke 12:21

Sometimes we rush through reading the Bible because we have read it before. But when we slow down, we may be able to find gems like this verse: 

“I commend you now to the Lord, and to that gracious WORD of His which can build you up and give you your rightful inheritance among all those set apart for God’s purpose.” Saint Paul, Acts 20:32

When we are able to savor God's Word, we can discover a treasure room full of different finely set jewels, intricate gold pieces and the finest pearls. Just like that room in the movie, “National Treasure”, but only bigger, limitless!

Many people through the ages have sought after gold, pearls, and jewels. Some have gone down deep into the sea to salvage pirate's treasure. Kings hoarded gems, explorers bravely set out to find cities of gold, pioneers spent years prospecting the elusive metal. Legends have grown around famous pearls. One particular pearl, the La Peregrina, has an illustrious 500 year history! After being found by a slave in Africa in the 1500s, and worn by Spanish queens and English nobility, it eventually ended up in Elizabeth Taylor's extensive jewelry collection. Once, she recounts in her book, she was so scared because she lost it. It was eventually found in the mouth of one of her puppies! The most perfect pearl in the world being chewed by a puppy!!

One day, all these worldly treasures will be worth precisely that- nothing! Years and years of prospecting something that is worth nothing! So much time, money and effort spent searching for some elusive treasure under the sea worth nothing! 

What do we spent our time, effort and money on? Does it have eternal value or will it be eventually worth nothing? Jesus said we should store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. (Matthew 6:20-21) Let us dig in the vast treasure of God's Word and let it enlarge us, build us up and give us an inheritance worth far more than all the earthly treasures throughout the ages!